Direction finder



Oct. 15, 1940. w. RUNGE'. ET AL 2,218,361

DIRECTION FINDER Filed April 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Snoentors Wilhelm Range Albrecht Goths (Ittomeg Oct. 15, 1940- w. RUNGE ETAL DIRECTION FINDER Filed April 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AECE/ VEIB Summers 1138 breoht Gothe WZZ h e Z .RIL

Litton-no 9 tion or true bearing. In fact, it is only by the adgraph R, and it will beseen that the amplitude 'o Other methods also are known in the earlier auxiliary antenna for all directions is of like size' l taneous coupling relation with the receiver E. If the loop be displaced by an angleof 90".

5 10 Fig. 2). Arrangements of this nature have been or the opposite phase of the antenna current in "Z5 necessary, with a View to ascertaining the sense, on the contrary, it oscillates gbetween a+rand 2h -.&0 means an extra outlay'both as regards the redegrees, lies in the zero of the instrument. It the 3 t 40 bination of directional antenna and auxiliary anin the receiver output circuit will turn from left 40 I mannerunequivocal direction-finding with sense of loop and auxiliary antenna may be'effected 45 A v The p ess with the aim of sense finding based night effects to a large extent. But in accord- 55 Patented Oct. 15, 194d m r I f UNITED STATES P TENT oF ICETI DIRECTION FINDER Wilhelm Runge and Albrecht Gothe, Berlin, Germany, assignors to Telefunken Gesellschaft fiir Drahtlose Telegraphic .m. b. H., Berlin, Ger-= many, a corporation of Germany Application April 14, 1938, Serial No. 202,036 In Germany April 7, 1937 5 Claims. (01.250-11) Theusual mode of direction-finding is prediupon the method of thisinvention shall be ex: cated upon the use of a rotating loopwhich, howplained in more detail by reference to Figs. 1 and ever, because there are two minima, fails to fur- 211; As a frame or loop antenna is'rotated, there nish unequivocal evidence regarding the direcresults an amplitude characteristic as shown in f I dition of a non-directional auxiliary antenna is of zero value mtwodirections shifted an angle whose current is roughly in phase with the frame of 180 degrees. In the graph,- these minimum or loop current that the bearing can be made or zero signal strength points are located at true or that the sense can be determined. and at 2'70 degrees. The amplitude of a vertical art which are based for their operation upon a and value; in fact, it is roughly equal to the maxi: directional and a non-directional aerial; for inmum or crest amplitude of the frame or loop; I stance, a bidirectional frame or loop Rand a According to the polarity of the I, auxiliary an 3 straight aerial A, both of which are in simultenna-there results characteristic'A or A1.

In the output circuit of the receiver E is included then, by reference to Fig.2 there results a frame: an indicator or reading instrument I whose amplitude of -r. The amplitude of the auxiliary polarity is reversed in synchronism with the antenna in all cases is either equal to a or to .a, reversal of the connections of the aerial A- (see the sign to indicateas the case maybe, the same known inthe art for some timeas target-bearing reference to the loop current. Upon reversingthe sense-finding (or unidirectional direction findpolarity of the auxiliary antenna in frame position ers)' receivers. Also in the practical use of re- 90'-, the receiver potential fluctuates-between ceivers of the said sort it has heretofore been ar and a.'r. For a frame position90+,

to either employ another loop serial turned an -a+r. If the indicator or reading instrument in angle of 90 degrees in reference to the first loop the output circuit of the receiver is reversed. in or else to resort to a different sense-finding polarity at the-same time as the auxiliaryantenn a, method. .It is known from practice that this then the mean oscillation, for frameiposition 90 ceiving arrangement as well as the time required loop is at 90, then the deflectionofthe instrufor observing bearings. I ment is proportional to the mean between ar and The method of this invention, which comprises -ar, in other words, r and in the loop position the use of a direction-finder scheme consisting v90+ proportional to the voltage +1". The deflec- 35 of a directional aerial and an auxiliary aerial, tion of the instrument, upon revolving the. loop, 35

with one of these antennae being changed in thereforehasashape as the amplitude characterpolarity in synchronism with an indicator instruistic of the loop (Fig. 20.). Turning the-loop in ment included in the output circuit of the reclockwise direction beyond direction 90 degrees, ceiver, has this outstanding feature that the comthen also the needle of the instrument included tenna is efiected in such a way that the correct to right. Turning the frame in clockwise direcbearing lies in the minimum in which the needle tion beyond the second minimum point, at 2'70 of the instrument moves in the same sense in degrees, then the needle of the instrument will which the directional antenna is turned. In this move from right to left- Hence, the combination indication is immediately obtained. in such a way that the correct bearing or the This invention will be better understood from {sense lies in the minimum for which the needle the f ll w d p i n wh n ns d d in of the instrument turns from left to right, if the nect on wit t accompanying. d aw in loop is likewise turned inclockwise direction."

50 w h Figure 1 s a t on ys s wn in In a similar manner unequivocal directi'omfmd- 50 e prior Figures 2 and 3 e Curves 111118- ing (sense-finding) is also possible with the use t n t invention; and Figure 4 is 9; Scheof two parallel loops or frames L1 and L2 conmatic representation of an embodiment of this meted in opposition?or'different1a11y I This invention. scheme, as well known from practice, eliminates the minima at 180 and 360 degrees.

ance with this invention, an auxiliary loop L3 is required instead of an auxiliary antenna which is connected in parallel relationship to the two direction-finding loops, as shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 3 is shown again the characteristic of the double-loop direction-finder and it is there designated by R. The curves A and A correspond to the characteristics of the auxiliary loop L3 for its two polarities. A twin-loop directionfinder apparatus, as well known in the art, has four minimum points. Two of these coincide with the minima of the auxiliary loop, while the other two minima are shifted an angle of 90 degrees in reference thereto. Revolving the twin-loop direction-finder and with steady simultaneous reversal of polarity of the auxiliary loop and the indicator or reading instrument operating in series, a needle deflection will be noted in the output instrument of the receiver as shown in Fig, 3a. Turning the loop beyond the 90-degree and the Z'ZO-degree positions, also the instrument deflection will show a minimum, though the deflection will not shift to the opposite side of zero. This happens only in the presence of However, as in the above instance, these two distinguish themselves again in that the needle shift in .one case is equi-directional with the loop motion, and in the other case it is opposite in direction. Hence, the circuit organization may again be so chosen that upon passage through the correct minimum loop rotation and needle movement are in identical senses.

The indicator or visual reading instrument in the output circuit of the receiver could also be employed to drive means for automatic adjustment of the direction-finder in such a way that the direction-finding organization adjusts itself always to the correct minimum point. It will be evident that the present invention and its practical utility are not restricted by any means to direction-finding systems which are predicated for their operation upon direction-finder loops; indeed, it is generally applicable to direction-finding systems in which equivocal minimum positions are obtained, such as the Adcock direction-finding system.

We claim as our invention:

1. A direction finder including, in combination, a pair of loop antennas connected in phase opposition, an auxiliary loop antenna, means for combining currents derived from said antennas to produce a resultant current, means for indicating said resultant current, and means for simultaneously reversing the relative phase of currents derived from said auxiliary loop antenna with respect to currents derived from said pair of loop antennas and the phase of said resultant current.

2. A direction finder including, in combination, a pair of parallel loop antennas differentially connected, an auxiliary loop antenna, means for combining currents derived from said auxiliary loop antenna with currents derived from said parallel loop antennas, an indicator connected to said combining means and responsive to the re sultant amplitude of said combined currents, and means for synchronously reversing the connections to said indicator and the relative phase of said combined currents.

3. A direction finder including a pair of rotatable parallel loop antennas connected in 0pposition, an auxiliary loop antenna rotatable with said parallel loop antennas, means including a reversing switch for combining currents derived from said parallel loop antennas with currents derived from said auxiliary loop antenna, a receiver having input and output circuits, means for applying said combined currents to said input circuit, an indicator, means including a second reversing switch for connecting said indicator to said output circuit, and means for synchronously operating said reversing switches.

4. A device of the character described in claim 3 in which said auxiliary loop antenna is parallel to said pair of loop antennas.

5. A direction finder including, in combination, a pair of rotatable bidirectional antennas connected in opposition, an auxiliary bidirectional antenna rotatable with said pair of antennas, means including a reversing switch for combining currents derived from said pair of antennas with currents derived from said auxiliary antenna, a receiver having input and output circuits, means for applying said combined currents to said input circuit, an indicator, means including a second reversing switch for connecting said indicator to said output circuit, and means for synchronously operating said reversing switches.

WILHELM RUNGE. ALBRECHT GOTHE. 

